Gilda Z. Jacobs

Michigan Nightlight: What does being a leader mean to you?
Gilda Z. Jacobs, President and CEO of Michigan League for Public Policy: Being a leader is helping to bring other people and organizations along, helping to change other people’s views.
 
The excitement that I get in being the leader of the League is that I can help bring the League’s work to more people and more organizations, so that we can really make a greater impact in the state. It’s really bringing along others and educating them about the important work that needs to be done in our state to make it an even greater state than it is.

Being a leader is never giving up. It’s also the ability to be flexible and work in every challenging environment there is and even maintain a sense of humor.

 
Being a leader is never giving up. It’s also the ability to be flexible and work in every challenging environment there is and even maintain a sense of humor.
 
What is your dream for kids?
My dream is that every child in Michigan gets quality prenatal care and a great preschool education because I feel that will give them the building blocks that they need to be the best, most productive citizens in Michigan. We can have the greatest impact on our kids and on our economy by starting very early.
 
What is one concrete thing that could be done to improve the environment for social sector work in Michigan?
It’s a hard question, but that’s why the Prosperity Coalition is such an important opportunity – to be able to use that group to message legislators and the administration and also the public. I think that we really need to hone our message that seems to have gotten lost in the current political environment.
 
Those of us working in this sector have to keep trying to connect the dots between how important public policy is in improving the lives of all people in the state, including those who are economically the most vulnerable. That really is going to help to drive a much more secure economy in our state. Truly investing in those public structures will help to turn our state around.
 
How do you know you’re making progress?
We’re a data-driven organization. When we see statistics drop that show fewer children living in poverty, fewer children needing free and reduced-price lunch and lower unemployment rates for all sectors of folks, we know we’re making progress. We also know that reducing unemployment with low-paying jobs that don’t provide the resources to raise a family doesn’t really get us to where we need to be in the state.

...if we’re going to improve the lives of people, we need lower-skilled and under-skilled people to get the training they need to really support their families.

So, if we’re going to improve the lives of people, we need lower-skilled and under-skilled people to get the training they need to really support their families.
 
What are you most proud of?
The League has a unique ability and opportunity to really change the public debate about poverty. The League’s stature and ability to advocate and bring the research to the table is what’s really going to help drive important policy decisions.
 
My job at the League is an extension of the kind of work that I’ve committed my personal life to. I actually think that I will have a greater impact personally because of the League in really improving the lives of more human beings here in our state. I’m just very proud to be a part of an organization that can help do that.
 
What drew you to your current profession, having come from working as a state senator and representative?
It was really a natural extension of what I love and what drives me. It’s a passion for public policy, a passion for human services – and I even like fundraising, which is helpful when you take over the reigns of a nonprofit. What really excited me was the ability to have an even greater impact at the League than I was able to have as a legislator in the state.